Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1887-02-17
THuNoER-sToRMs.
The Cause Assigned by German sa-
wants for Their Continuous In
orease During the Last
Forte Xaars


verify of its thunder-storms. In this
country the number Of thunder-storms
in 1886 was below the average, AID
nothing occurred to draw any special
attention to these displays of the males
tic forces of nature. But in Germany,
particularly, certain amount of un-
easiness has been caused by the publi-
cation of official statistics which show
beyond all question that. in that coun-
try. at least thunder-storms have been
steadily increasing in frequency. and.
so far as can be judged by the injury
inflicted on life and property, in sever
ity also. ever since the record was COM
menced in 1874. The German savants
have. thefore, been paying a good deal
of attention to the phenomena OF thun-
der-storms. and the question naturally
arises whether any reasonable cause
can be assigned for their continuous in
crease during the last forty years. Is
il due &c purely naturally causes, such
as are altogether beyond human con-
troll? Or is it in any way the result of
the conditions of modern civilization
And, Ii so, can anything be done to
mend this undesirable state of things?
AT first sight the latter question may
seem rather extravagant; nevertheless,
the Germans are inclined to answer in
the affirmative. They are decidedly of
opinion that the increase of thunder
storms is to be attributed to artificial
causes, and that something might GER
tainly be done to diminish their fire.
quency. Before stating their views we
would hazard the opinion that they
will not be accepted without free
criticism. Long ago Franklin taught
us how to erect metallic rods project
ing at one end above the topmost roofs
of our buildings. and buried at the
other end in the soil, and by this means
to conduct the dangerous discharge
harmlessly to earth. Since Franklin's
time we have made one step in advance
in this matter, and until quite recently
only one. The early lightning conduc-
tors terminated in round knobs. With
this construction the lightning could be
seen visibly to strike the conductor
and this was considered very salts
factory resultant indeed it was bet
ter than nothing. But at the close of
the last century Richmann, of st.
Petersburg, while experimenting with
such an apparatus. received discharge
which killed him on the spot, although
no storm was previously raging A
little later it was discovered that con-
ductors had more important Office to
fulfill; il they were made pointed at the
end, they were capable not merely OF
conducting a flash safely to the
ground. but of absolutely preventing
the instantaneous discharge of cleo
tricity in their own immediate neigh
borhood; provided, however, that the
electric tension did not rise beyond
some (still unknown) limit The ex-
pertinent may be repeated with any
machine for generating static electro
city. IL knob is presented ID the
charged conductor, spark. accom-
panied by u sharp defamation, will be
given off; but il sharp point be
used instead of the knob, there is no
fash and no sudden noise. the electric
ity passes quietly away, with, perhaps
little blue light at the end of the
point, accompanied by slight kissing
sound. Accordingly, all modern light
ming conductors are made with very
sharp points, and the upper part is or
should be gilded, so rs TO preserve the
fine point from the corrosive acton Of
the atmosphere: Six months ago Prof.
Hughes announced that from a series
of theoretical researches. of too alb
struse a character to be entered upon
here. he had arrived at the conclusion
that lightning conductor should be
made in the form of a wide, fiat ribbon
and not as solid rod, at least in that
part which comes in contact with the
building.
But notwithstandin g our knowledge
OF such effectGal and simple means of
preserving our buildings from the dis
astrous effects of lightning stroke,
we yet remain very much in the dark
upon the whole subject of atmospheric
electricity, and especially upon the inn
mediate cause OF thunder-storms. The
difficulty lies not so much in the ac-
counting for the fact that a cloud is
sometimes, or even usually, found to
be charged with electricity; the enigma
which remains unsolved is to explain
how it is that during thunderstorm
this charge of electricity is so rapidly
renewed and regenerated after each
discharge. 1t is rash to argue too con-
fidently from the behavior of the scin-
tillations which we produce at will in
our laboratories to the magnificent ex-
hibiton of the power of those occult
forces which are at work in the thun-
der-storm; but yet it is safe to say that,
so far as our present knowledge goes,
the electricity of a thunderstorm has
not as is generally supposed, been
gradually accumulated during previ-
Gus period in which as rule, the wealth
err is unusually oppressive. and then
dispersed little at time with every
lightning flash. On the contrary, the
electric charge is renewed then and
there between the successive peals of
thunder. Doubtless the previous con-
dition of the atmosphere has much,
probably, everything to do with pre-
pairing the way for these operations,
but it is tolerably certain that the elec-
ity itself is not bottled up beforehand
to any preceptible extent.
The German observers state that not
withstanding the great increase in the
number of lightning conductors which
has taken place within the last forty
years, the ratio between the total num-
Der of buildings in the country and the
annual number damaged by lightning
has been multiplied five-fold since the
year 1884. This is undoubtedly q
somewhat alarming statement, especi-
ally if there is any reason for fear that
this rapid rate of increase is likely to
be maintained. The facts also demand
close examination from purely scien-
tific point of view, as they might as well
throw light upon the obscure genesis
of the phenomena of the thunder
storm. The Teutonic savauts consider
that ,,,,,ob 10 not all the hlap,a far